The subfloor provides a stable layer - basically a sheet of plywood - for your floor to sit on. You’ll see a lot of van build videos on Youtube showing a ¾” subfloor, but that thickness just isn’t necessary in a van. The thicker the subfloor, the higher the cost and weight, and the more valuable interior space it takes away. We recommend using ¼” plywood for your subfloor, which is plenty thick enough for a van.
Table mounted routers, planers and shapers are another machine that usually has material fed through, and although they are fairly narrow machines, they require room on their front for material to be fed from, and at the rear for the material to be removed after the work is complete, so again, a space of about ten feet is needed for any significant work.
In the summer months, your windows will be one of the primary ways that heat gets into your van. Because of its reflectivity, Reflectix works great as a window covering to reflect radiant heat away from your windows. And, if you’re concerned about height in your van, layering Reflectix under your subfloor is a good way to add a little insulation (R-1.1) without sacrificing headroom.
Up until about ten years ago, if you were in the process of starting a small business and wanted to use all of the technologies listed at the start of this section, you would have needed to take out a second mortgage to cover the bill. Investing in retail technology has historically involved expensive hardware (including an in-house server), large upfront software costs, and hefty ongoing bills for customer support or repairs when things went wrong. Innovators were targeting large-scale enterprises like Coca-Cola, not local mom and pops, so the packages and price points were designed to match.

Gone are the days when you could apply for a building permit based on a sketch on the back of a cigarette pack­age. In provinces like Ontario, design work must be undertaken by an insured designer registered under the provin­cial building code or by the owner of the property. You can do the drawings as the owner if you can demonstrate effec­tively through your drawings that your structure will comply with the techni­cal requirements of the building code in a clear and concise way. You will be required to submit detailed drawings, including the following:

At a certain point, you may decide that it is time to move on from your business. Whether you’re winding down a business that just didn’t work out, retiring (and maybe opening that beach bar in Belize), or cashing in on the effort you’ve put into creating a lucrative enterprise, you will hopefully have established your end goal well in advance so that the time to strategically exit will be clear.
You may want a garage door if you will need to access your shop with large workpieces or tools, or if you or future owners will ever want to use the space to park a vehicle. Garage doors are notoriously drafty, however, so if you think you can live without one you will probably be warmer. Instead, you could opt for out-swinging double doors. In a small shop you can, at a pinch, rip longer lengths of lumber by feeding the material out of either a strategically placed door or window.
I’ll throw this suggestion out to you too – while a warm sleeping bag would be a good start, maybe a couple sheets of plywood to put over the truck bed with a tarp over that would provide you some extra protection from rain/snow and also trap in some body heat. You wouldn’t have to make them permanent and could just slide the wood into the bed when not sleeping under it. A cheap bivy as Ryan suggested would also be a good consideration and a quality sleeping pad to provide some warm rating and comfort from the truck bed.
Starting your own small business can be an incredibly rewarding experience both personally and financially. However, like anything worthwhile, it takes a great deal of time and effort to be successful at it. Your results will depend on how much you are willing to apply yourself. The lessons in How to Start a Small Business 101 are designed to give you a leg up on the competition so you can hit the ground running. Now all you’ve got to do is bookmark this page, free up some time, grab a cup of coffee, and start making your way through each section.
Do you want to create the next great retail dynasty? Do you want to be Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago? Or are you just looking for a simple local lifestyle business? Are you hoping to create a franchise model? Or do you see your local business as a testing ground for an ecommerce business? Your end goal will clearly inform your decisions, so it’s worth considering what it is early on.
The nomadic truck camping lifestyle has been incredibly freeing, not only is cheap and accessible to most anyone, but it can take you beyond places you even imagined. One book that I’d recommend to all newcomers to this lifestyle is Bob Wells’ How to Live in a Car, Van, or RV, which will help you better understand the ins and outs of this lifestyle.
If you’ve been to gem shows, you know how overwhelming and daunting they can be. Although it’s difficult to narrow down all those tempting options, your jewelry business profit margin will be greater if you plan ahead and focus on shopping for a particular line and color scheme of jewelry. Ultimate Small Shop Online Review You must keep the bigger picture in mind and try to keep your emotions out of the design process. Here are some tips for defining your market and researching it so that you can walk in and out of a gemstone show feeling confident in the business investments you’ve just made. Gemstone shows and fairs are marketplaces for vendors of gemstones, findings, jewelry supplies, and tools. Due to a large amount of competition between the vendors, prices tend to be competitive. I’ve found unbelievable deals on high-quality gemstones and findings at gem shows. To find gem shows near you, you can simply do a Google search for “gemstone show” or “gem fair”. Other sources of information are your local convention and visitors’ bureau and any lapidary clubs in your area. Anyone can attend most gemstone shows. Although you don’t usually need a wholesale license to get in, some vendors may ask for your resale permit before letting you buy at wholesale prices. Show admission fees tend to be in the $5 to $10 dollar range. What market are you trying to target with your jewelry? Don’t try to please everyone. Ultimate Small Shop does it really work Are you trying to appeal to individuals like yourself? What age bracket are you trying to reach? Does your jewelry line appeal to funky or traditional individuals? Next, take a trip to your local department store and take note of the colors that are being used for the upcoming season. Look at the jewelry and observe the lengths of the earrings/necklaces, the sizes of the stones, and the other various style elements for the season. While your designs should not be copies or replicas of the jewelry in the stores, you can simply incorporate the observations you make into your own original design ideas. Fashion and jewelry magazines are also a great place to find out what trends are coming into the stores. There will be an overwhelming array of gemstones and supplies at the show. Having a jewelry line style and color scheme in mind will allow you to narrow your focus. Vendors will offer gemstones in more shapes, sizes, cuts, and colors than you can imagine. Stick to the colors you’ve mapped out for yourself and walk through the entire gem show once before buying anything. Jot down and compare the prices of items that you’re interested in. Then take a break, go outside for some fresh air, and reflect on the items you saw and really liked. Then review your budget and the jewelry line you have in mind before returning into the gemstone show. Ultimate Small Shop Guide Download This will help you get the best deals on the items you’re most interested in so that you don’t blow your budget or become overwhelmed by the options. Soaring through the air, watching the clouds and the birds fly by.
Can you outfit your shop with all the necessary hand tools for just $100? Christopher Schwarz says you can, and he’ll show you how to do it in this article. Take Christopher’s shopping list to the flea market and come back with everything you need for less than you’d spend on one new hand plane. You can do all your woodworking with hand tools, and this article from Popular Woodworking will equip you with everything you need.
The refrigeration setup in your van is an area where you really do get what you pay for, whether you’re paying in money or in time. The best options are the most expensive. The cheapest options are a pain and/or don’t work very well. And if you try to save money with a DIY refrigerator setup, you could end up spending a lot of time on installation.